Dersu the Trapper

By: V. K. Arseniev, Jaimy Gordon, Malcolm Burr (Translator)

Write A Review

Paperback | 1 June 1996

At a Glance

Paperback
351 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
16.5 x 23 x 4

Paperback

$46.99

or 4 interest-free payments of $11.75 with

Ships in 10 to 15 business days

Vladimir Klavdievich Arseniev (1872-1930) undertook twelve major scientific expeditions between 1902 and 1930 in the Siberian Far East, and authored some sixty works from the geographical, geological, botanical, and ethnographic data he amassed. Among these, Dersu the Trapper has earned a privileged place in Russian literature. In this Russian counterpart to The Journals of Lewis and Clark and the novels of James Fenimore Cooper, Arseniev combines the precise observations of a naturalist with an exciting narrative of real-life adventure.

Arseniev describes three explorations in the Ussurian taiga along the Sea of Japan above Vladivostok, beginning with his first encounter of the solitary aboriginal hunter named Dersu, a member of the Gold tribe, who thereafter becomes his guide. Each expedition is beset with hardship and danger: through blizzard and flood and assorted deprivations, these two men forge an exceptional friendship in their mutual respect for the immense grandeur of the wilderness. But the bridges across language, race and culture also have limitations, and the incursion of civilization exacts its toll. Dersu the Trapper is at once a witnessing of Russia's last frontier and a poignant memoir of rare cross-cultural understanding. Originally published in 1941, this English translation is reprinted in its entirety now for the first time.

Industry Reviews

"Dersu the Trapper is so good a book that one wonders who Arseniev is and why this book has not been translated from the Russian before... [It] is a classic that will keep both Arseniev and Dersu alive in our hearts." -- Yale Review "Arseniev...the great explorer of Eastern Siberia...opens up a world of which we have hitherto had very little information. Thanks to his descriptions we obtain a vivid conception of the natural conditions and the inhabitants of this distant forest country." -- Fritjof Nansen

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.